The present invention relates to an electronic camera, that is, a camera for electronically recording an optical image and, more particularly, to an electronic camera having a detachable recording section using a memory, such as a disk, as a recording means.
A conventional electronic camera of this type consists of an image pickup section for converting an optical image into an electrical signal and a disk recording section for electronically or magnetically recording the electrical signal.
Alternatively, an electronic camera of this type has a solid-state memory, instead of a disk recording section, as the recording means, in order to eliminate its drawbacks.
However, the art as described above has the following drawbacks.
First, an electronic camera having a disk recording section as the recording means has the following drawbacks:
(1) Since a recording disk and a disk drive for driving the same have predetermined size, miniaturization of the entire camera is limited.
(2) A predetermined time interval is required for a rise time of disk rotation when recording of an image is started, and a shutter release opportunity can be lost.
(3) The power consumption required for a disk servo is comparatively large, and disk servo time not contributing to recording is prolonged.
(4) The camera housing must be water- and dust-proofed due to the necessity of disk change, resulting in a high cost.
Meanwhile, an electronic camera using a solid-state memory as a recording means has the following drawbacks:
(1) It is difficult to increase the memory capacity exceeding a predetermined degree, and a maximum number of photographing frames is smaller than that of an electronic camera which uses a disk.
(2) Since cost reduction of the memory is limited, reduction in photographing cost is also limited.
(3) A semiconductor memory requires power to maintain data of a recorded optical image, and it is difficult to reserve it permanently.
(4) If a replaceable memory pack is used to overcome the problem of the limited maximum number of photographing frames, the camera housing must be water- and dust-proofed, resulting in a high cost.